BREAKING: President Buhari suspends SGF Babachir Lawal and DG of NIA

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, April 19, suspended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

NAIJ.com gathered that the Senate recently found Lawal guilty of complicity in the finances meant for the welfare of the Internally Displaced persons, IDPs in the north east and called on the president to remove him.

Lawal was indicted by the Senate report for allegedly contravening the provisions of the public procurement act and the federal government’s financial rules and regulations pertaining to award of contracts.

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

President Buhari has finally caved in to pressure from the Senate to suspend the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal.

The President has also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations.

In a related development, the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

The investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

The President has also directed the suspension of the Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation.

A three-man Committee comprising the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the National Security Adviser, headed by the Vice President, is to conduct both investigations.

The Committee is to submit its report to the President within 14 days.

The most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF's office, and the most senior officer in the NIA, are to act, respectively, during the period of investigation."

Meanwhile, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is currently meeting the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, The Punch reports.

Lawal was in Osinbajo’s office as of the time the presidency announced his suspension.